In the ancient city of Stratonikeia, known as the 'City of Gladiators' and located in the Yatağan district of Muğla, excavations have brought to light three children's footprints dating back approximately 1900 years. Discovered in the frigidarium (cold room) of the Roman Bath, these prints offer a unique and humanizing glimpse into daily life and the presence of children in public spaces within the ancient city.
The team, led by Prof. Dr. Bilal Söğüt, Head of the Stratonikeia and Lagina Excavation Committee, focused this year's work on the Roman Bath near the city's west street. Excavations in the bath's palaestra (gymnasium), apodytorium (changing room), and frigidarium sections revealed building materials from its collapsed roof, preserved as they fell in antiquity, as well as niches around the pools. However, the most exciting find of the excavation was the children's footprints, believed to have been left on the mortar floor while it was still wet during the construction phase.
Stratonikeia, considered among the world's largest marble cities, is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List [1]. Excavations have been ongoing without interruption since 1977 in the city, which has hosted Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, as well as Anatolian beyliks, Ottoman, and Republican eras [2]. This layered historical fabric offers researchers the opportunity to study the daily life practices of different ages side by side [3].
Experts are investigating whether these child footprints on the bath floor were accidental or part of a deliberate game. Such human details, often overshadowed by monumental structures, hold invaluable significance for understanding the visibility of children in public spaces and the flow of daily life in ancient Roman society.